Dragon Quest II
Dragon Quest II: Akuryo no Kamigami (Japanese: 悪霊の神々, lit. Pantheon of Evil Spirits) also know as Dragon Warrior II in North America is a role-playing game that was initially released for the Famicom in Japan on January 26, 1987. It is the second installment of the Dragon Quest series. Dragon Quest II was remade, integrated into Dragon Quest, and released as Dragon Quest I & II. Game information Plot Dragon Quest II is set 100 years after Dragon Quest. A century of peace is suddenly ended when the evil wizard Hargon destroys the country of Moonbrooke. One lone guard, an injured survivor of the attack, makes his way towards the kingdom of Midenhall. There with his dying breath he informs the king of the dire circumstances. The king then commands his son, the prince of Midenhall and a descendant of Erdrick (also known as Loto in later versions), to defeat Hargon. The prince is not alone on his quest. He has two cousins, the prince of Cannock and the princess of Moonbrooke. However, he must find them first. The prince of Cannock already left on a similar journey, and the princess of Moonbrooke was in the castle of Moonbrooke when it was attacked. It is up to the prince of Midenhall to find them, join together, and defeat Hargon. Setting The early part of the game takes place on land. From a few magical tiles or tunnels, the player can visit a few tiny islands in the beginning, but upon reaching a major port and fulfilling a specific task does the player get a ship which allows the player to explore much more of the world by sea. Magical teleportation is the last means of transport that the player must use. Architecturally, some castles are presented as ruins. Cast The prince of Midenhall/Lorasia This is the classic warrior of the three heroes. He can use any armor and weapon in the game. He has no magic ability (this is the only game in the series in which this is so), but his physical attack and defense are the greatest of the three. This is the character the player starts out with in the castle of Midenhall. His name is directly selected by the player. The prince of Cannock/Samantoria The prince of Cannock is a blend of the classic warrior and priest archetypes. He cannot use as wide a variety of weapons and armor as the prince of Lorasia but compensates for this with the ability to use magic. However, it should be noted that his magic is not as powerful as that wielded by the princess of Moonbrooke, although he is better at healing magic. This character is hard to track down, but is a great ally. His name is generated at random based on the name of the prince of Cannock, although there is a cheat code to alter his name. The princess of Moonbrooke The princess of Moonbrooke is the classic wizard of the three heroes. She can use few types of armor and weapons in the game. She shares some of the prince of Cannock's magic, but in addition has several powerful damage spells. This character has been cursed and needs to be freed before she will be able to join her cousins. Like the prince of Cannock her name is determined at random, but can be changed by a cheat code. Hargon Hargon is the evil wizard that attacked Moonbrooke, cursed its princess, and threatened to destroy the world. His defeat is the goal of the three heroes. Only after Hargon's defeat can peace return to the world. Game play The game offers three spots to save the game. It also allows deletion and the moving of saved games. To save, find a king or minister and talk to them. As in the first game, the original Japanese version had a password system (or "spell of revival") instead a battery backup (or "roll of honor"). Dragon Quest II is noted for greatly expanding the game play from the previous game, Dragon Quest. Dragon Quest II is the first game in the series to feature multiple heroes and enemies in a battle, as well as a sailing ship and Travel Gates. It was also the first to have weapons which cast spells when used in battles. In addition, Dragon Quest II offers a wider array of spells and items and a much larger world (256 by 256 instead of 100 by 100). To save memory for the multiple monster portraits, the background of the battle screen was removed. So the portraits are shown on a blank black or white background. The wyvern wing and Return spell will take the party to the last place they saved the game. List of Locations Castles and Towns * Midenhall or Lorasia: Near the middle of the northeastern continent; it is the starting point for the initial hero. Under the name Lorasia it is named after princess Laura from the original game. There is a Travel Gate in the castle leading to an island far to the south. * Leftwyne or Ririza: The halfway point between the castles of Midenhall and Cannock. There is a church and a lottery office (the first in the series) here. * Cannock or Samaltoria: This castle was also built by descendants of the hero of the first game. It is northwest of Lorasia, in a forest. It is the home of the Prince of Cannock, but he has left on a journey at the start of the game. * Hamlin or Munpeta: A town on the southeast continent. It is a ways to the north of Moonbrooke castle; some refugees have traveled here. * Moonbrooke: The third castle built by descendents of the hero in the first game. Hargon's soldiers wander the ruins attacking visitors. * Lianport or Rupugana: A seaport on the western continent, near Alefguard. Strangers are not welcome here. It is a great distance from Hamlin. * Tantegel or Radatomu: The capital of Alefguard; it is now a castle and town combined, unlike the first game where the two were separated. The castle is now east of the town, instead of west as in the original. The other towns of Alefguard, such as Mercado and Kol, have disappeared. * Charlock Castle or Dragonlord's Castle: On the opposite bank of the sea from Tantegel; it is a complicated multilevel maze inhabited by a descendent of the Dragonlord. It also contains the legendary sword, as in the first game. The layout is much the same as before in the original version, but different in the remake. * Beran: A city on an island in the southwestern corner of the world. It contains a Travel Gate leading to the foot of the Plateau of Rhone, locked behind a prison door. * Tuhn or Tepa: A forest village to the west of the Plateau of Rhone. Its main feature is a reservoir and floodgate; but the key to the floodgate was stolen by bandits. The artisan Don Mohame lives here. * Osterfair or Derkondaru: A castle on an island in the south, near the Travel Gate to Lorasia (but only reachable by ship). It is famed for its Combat Arena; the king offers a reward to those who are successful there. It is the home of the thief Kandar from the third game. * Zahan: A fishing town on an island in the far southeast. It has been decimated by sea monsters, and so is mostly inhabited by women. It has a shrine. * Wellgarth or Pelpoi: A town southeast of the Plateau of Rhone. It is built underground to avoid attacks by the monsters, and the door is locked by a golden key. Dungeons and Shrines * Sea Cave: A submerged shoal-island west of Osterfair. It is full of dangerous monsters and lava, and contains a shrine to Hargon's god. * Shrine of Rubiss: This shrine is located in the sea between Osterfair and the continent of Lorasia. It is sacred to the earth spirit Rubiss. * Cave to Rhone or Cave to Rondalkia: A series of caves connecting the Plateau of Rhone to the Travel Gate at its foot (leading back to Beran). It has 7 levels, powerful enemies, and elaborate tricks and traps, such as an infinite loop maze on the top level. Thus it is considered one of the most difficult dungeons ever to appear in the Dragon Quest series. * The Shrine of Rhone or Shrine of Rondalkia: It is nearly at the exact center of the plateau, and hence the world; it is the only peaceful place in the plateau. It allows the party to heal and save their game. There is also a one-way Travel Gate to the foot of the mountain, allowing the party to return to Beran. * Hargon's Castle or Temple: Home of Hargon, the High Priest of Rhone. It is covered by an illusion which causes intruders to see a friendly place instead of the true temple. Other releases Official ports *''Dragon Quest II'' had a port for the MSX platform in Japan. *''Dragon Quest II'' was released in North America, under the name Dragon Warrior II, on the Nintendo Entertainment System in December of 1990. *''Dragon Quest II'' was remade and combined with Dragon Quest. It was released as Dragon Quest I & II on the Super Famicom and Game Boy Color. Sequels/Prequels Dragon Quest II is the second installment of the Dragon Quest series. Dragon Quest III is the prequel to Dragon Quest II, and Dragon Quest is the previous entry in the series. Fan projects There are no known fan-projects for Dragon Quest II. Trivia *The entire game world of Dragon Quest is included on the world map in Dragon Quest II. *''Dragon Quest II'' was the first Dragon Quest game to include a game of chance, a slot-machine-like card game. It is played using tokens, and prizes are awarded directly if the party wins a game. *''Dragon Quest II'' was also the first Dragon Quest game to use multiple key types, and persistent keys. *''Dragon Quest II'' was the first to have status ailments, and churches for removing them. *''Dragon Quest II'' was the first game in the series to feature pits and tower balconies from which the party can fall. (As always, they take no damage from this.) Soundtrack As with every Dragon Quest, Koichi Sugiyama composed the music and directed all the associated spin-offs. Dragon Quest II's symphonic suite was bundled with Dragon Quest I's symphonic suite and a disc of original compositions as Dragon Quest in Concert. Here is the track listing of the Dragon Quest II portion of that release: # Dragon Quest March (1:39) # Only Lonely Boy (2:42) # Pastoral ~ Catastrophe (3:21) # Château (3:03) # Town (3:30) # Fright in Dungeon ~ Devil's Town (4:02) # Requiem (2:09) # Endless World (5:43) # Beyond the Waves (2:13) # Deathfight ~ Dead or Alive (3:56) # My Road, My Journey (4:10)